Cut the rope: Short-term colonization of mooring lines by fouling community within the port of Livorno (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean), focusing on alien species recruitment.

The early stages of fouling development on artificial substrates were examined for spatial-temporal variation in the commercial and touristic harbours (use destinations) of the port of Livorno (Tuscany, Italy). The experiment was carried out by submerging two types of experimental ropes with different surface textures, considering three times of submersion. Particular attention was paid to the colonization dynamics of non-indigenous species (NIS). The type of rope did not significantly affect fouling development. However, when the NIS assemblage and the whole community were taken into account, the colonization of ropes varied depending on the use destination. The touristic harbour exhibited a degree of fouling colonization higher than the commercial one. NIS were observed in both harbours since the beginning of colonization, eventually achieving higher population densities in the touristic harbour. The use of experimental ropes represents a promising quick cost-effective tool for monitoring of NIS presence in port environments.

Short-term colonization of fouling communities within the port of Livorno (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean): Influence of substrate three-dimensional complexity on non-indigenous species establishment.

The influence of substrate morphology on early stages of fouling development was assessed through submerged experimental substrates with different morphological complexity. The experiment was carried out within commercial and touristic harbours of the port of Livorno (Italy), analysing the communities at three steps of colonization (14, 28, 42 days). We assessed the effect of substrate complexity on recruitment of non-indigenous species (NIS), combined with the influence of port use destinations. NIS were recorded in both use destination areas since the first step of colonization. Substrate morphological complexity significantly affected fouling colonization and particularly NIS assemblages. We found that high-complexity substrates are particularly suitable for NIS establishment in comparison with less complex ones. The touristic harbour exhibited a potential for fouling colonization higher than the commercial harbour. These results contributed to the understanding of factors involved in NIS establishment and spread, as well as in their spatial-temporal dynamics within port environments.

Virus contamination and infectivity in beach environment: Focus on sand and stranded material.

To assess the exposure of beachgoers to viruses, a study on seawater, sand, and beach-stranded material was carried out, searching for human viruses, fecal indicator organisms, and total fungi. Moreover, for the first time, the genome persistence and infectivity of two model viruses was studied in laboratory-spiked sand and seawater samples during a one-week experiment. Viral genome was detected in 13.6 % of the environmental samples, but it was not infectious (Human Adenovirus - HAdV, and enterovirus). Norovirus and SARS-CoV-2 were not detected. The most contaminated samples were from sand and close to riverine discharges. In lab-scale experiments, the infectivity of HAdV5 decreased by ~1.5-Log10 in a week, the one of Human Coronavirus-229E disappeared in <3 h in sand. The genome of both viruses persisted throughout the experiment. Our results confirm viral contamination of the beach and suggest HAdV as an index pathogen for beach monitoring and quantitative risk assessment.

Impact of storms and proximity to entry points on marine litter and wrack accumulation along Mediterranean beaches: Management implications.

Beach litter can affect public health and economic activities worldwide forcing local authorities to expensive beach cleaning. Understanding the key mechanisms affecting the accumulation of this waste on beaches, such as sea state and proximity to entry points, is critical to plan effective management strategies. In this one-year study, we estimated the impact of storm events and waterways runoff on litter abundance and local economy using as a model a managed, peri-urban beach facing a north-western sector of the Mediterranean Sea. We also investigated the relationship between litter composition/density and beach proximity to major/closest harbors/rivers at regional scale by combining our data with those on litter density available in literature. Autumn/winter storms caused larger litter depositions than spring/summer ones in the peri-urban beach. No preferential accumulation occurred near to waterway mouths. Litter mainly consisted of plastic, and its composition in terms of micro-categories varied over seasons. In total, 367,070 items were deposited along 4.7 km of beach over one year, and the cost for the removal of this waste amounted to approximately 27,600 euros per km/year. At regional scale, beach litter density was positively correlated to the proximity of major harbors while its composition was related to the proximity to both major harbors and rivers. Results indicate that autumn/winter storms are important drivers of marine litter deposition. They also suggest that beaches in front of the convergence zone of littoral currents and close to major harbors can be particularly subjected to this kind of pollutant. To increase their effectiveness, litter mitigation/cleaning activities should be planned based on predictions of major storm events and performed at spatial scales encompassing at least coastal regional sectors.

Harbour type and use destination shape fouling community and non-indigenous species assemblage: A study of three northern Tyrrhenian port systems (Mediterranean Sea).

Fouling communities were studied in three port systems of Northern Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean), focusing on the occurrence of non-indigenous species (NIS). For each port system two harbour types (large port and recreational marina) were sampled and, within each large port, fouling samples were collected considering two use destinations (commercial and touristic harbour). Among the 431 taxa identified, forty-two were alien or cryptogenic, four of which were new records for the study area. Harbour type and use destination shaped fouling communities and NIS assemblages, with their relative influence varying among different port systems. High fouling variability was detected within port environments and between different marinas. NIS showed the highest occurrence in large ports, in which the touristic harbour generally hosted the greatest amount. Therefore, the touristic harbours within large ports were identified as susceptible areas for NIS establishment and their possible subsequent spread at local scale through recreational maritime traffic.

Non-indigenous species in Mediterranean ports: A knowledge baseline.

Port areas have been considered bioinvasion hotspots due to the concentration of several invasion vectors. However, the actual distribution of non-indigenous species (NIS) in Mediterranean ports is still poorly understood. Here we conducted a literature review with the aim to provide a knowledge baseline about NIS distribution in Mediterranean ports. NIS distribution in Mediterranean ports showed a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of studies across the whole basin, with a limited knowledge on both specific taxa and geographical areas, as well as a generally low proportion of investigated ports. The low rate of specific studies designed to monitor these particular environments may represent the main source of knowledge gaps. Mediterranean ports host NIS from all regions of the world, playing a key role in marine bioglobalization. Our synthesis represents the first baseline addressing the presence of NIS in Mediterranean ports, which may be useful to define plans of NIS management and strategies focusing on a network of recognised focal hotspots.

Molecular phylogeny of Paraonidae (Annelida).

A molecular phylogeny of the family Paraonidae was reconstructed on the basis of 16S rDNA, COI and 18S rDNA sequences obtained from 66 individuals belonging to 38 nominal species and subspecies. In agreement with previous findings, Paraonidae represent a monophyletic group, closely related to Sternaspidae. The topology obtained by the Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses on the combined dataset was not consistent with the traditional view on Paraonidae evolution, nor with a recent cladistic analysis. According to our results, Paraonidae are divided in five clades. The earliest branching clade (Clade I) included five species of the genera Cirrophorus and Paradoneis, whereas the remaining species of these genera were included in the Clade II. The genus Levinsenia is monophyletic and represents the sister group of a highly supported clade including some morphologically homogeneous species previously assigned to the genus Aricidea, which is here described as Blakeia n. gen. The remaining species of Aricidea clustered in a clade that included Paraonis as well. Paraonis can be interpreted as a pedomorphic form of Aricidea, accounting for the strong morphological divergence between the two genera. For priority rules, Aricidea should be considered a junior synonym of Paraonis. None of the subgenera traditionally recognised within Aricidea were monophyletic; in addition, the shallow molecular divergence identified among species, in particular for 18S rDNA sequences, suggests that the adaptive radiation of the genus Aricidea is relatively recent. Phylogenetic relationships suggested that the median antenna is an ancestral character, which has been independently lost several times, though a long, cirriform antenna only occurs in the genus Aricidea. The ancestral number of pre-branchial chaetigers is most likely three, even though arrangements with a higher number of chaetigers have been probably achieved at least twice independently. Notopodial modified chaetae appear to be a plesiomorphy of Paraonidae and they have been lost subsequently, whereas neuropodial modified chaetae have been acquired at least thrice independently through the evolutionary history of the family. Paraonidae show a strikingly high occurrence of cryptic and pseudocryptic species; results of the present work suggest that environmental features play a crucial role in the diversification of this family, whereas the influence of geographical distance appears less pronounced. Lastly, despite their importance in deep-water environments, Paraonidae probably are a primarily shallow-water family, that radiated in the deep sea secondarily.

Phylogeography on the rocks: The contribution of current and historical factors in shaping the genetic structure of Chthamalus montagui (Crustacea, Cirripedia).

The model marine broadcast-spawner barnacle Chthamalus montagui was investigated to understand its genetic structure and quantify levels of population divergence, and to make inference on historical demography in terms of time of divergence and changes in population size. We collected specimens from rocky shores of the north-east Atlantic Ocean (4 locations), Mediterranean Sea (8) and Black Sea (1). The 312 sequences 537 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I allowed to detect 130 haplotypes. High within-location genetic variability was recorded, with haplotype diversity ranging between h = 0.750 and 0.967. Parameters of genetic divergence, haplotype network and Bayesian assignment analysis were consistent in rejecting the hypothesis of panmixia. C. montagui is genetically structured in three geographically discrete populations, which corresponded to north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, western-central Mediterranean Sea, and Aegean Sea-Black Sea. These populations are separated by two main effective barriers to gene flow located at the Almeria-Oran Front and in correspondence of the Cyclades Islands. According to the 'isolation with migration' model, adjacent population pairs diverged during the early to middle Pleistocene transition, a period in which geological events provoked significant changes in the structure and composition of palaeocommunities. Mismatch distributions, neutrality tests and Bayesian skyline plots showed past population expansions, which started approximately in the Mindel-Riss interglacial, in which ecological conditions were favourable for temperate species and calcium-uptaking marine organisms.

Shaken not stirred: A molecular contribution to the systematics of genus Mugil (Teleostei, Mugilidae).

With this work we addressed some molecular systematic issues within the Mugil cephalus species complex. Particular attention was paid to the debated situations of: (i) Mugil liza, occurring in partial sympatry with Mugil cephalus in the northwestern Atlantic, and (ii) Mugil platanus, considered by some authors a synonymy of the former species and distributed in the southwestern Atlantic. We sequenced 79 individuals of a 465-bp portion of the mitochondrial control region (CR) from 8 western Atlantic and 2 Mediterranean localities. In addition, all CR sequences available from GenBank for the studied taxa were added to our dataset, for a total of 323 individuals. Overall, 229 haplotypes corresponding to 8 divergent monophyletic lineages were detected. Results of phylogenetic analyses were consistent with the occurrence of past speciation events producing the observed lineages. Of these lineages, 7 correspond to cryptic species and one is constituted by M. liza and M. platanus. As a matter of fact, these 2 taxa constitute a single lineage within the M. cephalus species complex. However, individuals of M. liza/M. platanus lineage analyzed by means of the 18 mitochondrial markers available in GenBank exhibited a degree of genetic diversity consistent with highly divergent populations. Of the 8 lineages detected, the Mediterraean one (type locality) corresponds to M. cephalus; the lineage M. liza/M. platanus should be named M. liza, under the priority principle, and the left 6 lineages need formal description.

Mitochondrial DNA reveals genetic structuring of Pinna nobilis across the Mediterranean Sea.

Pinna nobilis is the largest endemic Mediterranean marine bivalve. During past centuries, various human activities have promoted the regression of its populations. As a consequence of stringent standards of protection, demographic expansions are currently reported in many sites. The aim of this study was to provide the first large broad-scale insight into the genetic variability of P. nobilis in the area that encompasses the western Mediterranean, Ionian Sea, and Adriatic Sea marine ecoregions. To accomplish this objective twenty-five populations from this area were surveyed using two mitochondrial DNA markers (COI and 16S). Our dataset was then merged with those obtained in other studies for the Aegean and Tunisian populations (eastern Mediterranean), and statistical analyses (Bayesian model-based clustering, median-joining network, AMOVA, mismatch distribution, Tajima's and Fu's neutrality tests and Bayesian skyline plots) were performed. The results revealed genetic divergence among three distinguishable areas: (1) western Mediterranean and Ionian Sea; (2) Adriatic Sea; and (3) Aegean Sea and Tunisian coastal areas. From a conservational point of view, populations from the three genetically divergent groups found may be considered as different management units.

Multilocus comparative phylogeography of two aristeid shrimps of high commercial interest (Aristeus antennatus and Aristaeomorpha foliacea) reveals different responses to past environmental changes.

Phylogeographical studies can reveal hidden patterns in the evolutionary history of species. Comparative analyses of closely related species can further help disentangle the relative contributions of processes responsible for such patterns. In this work, the phylogeography of two aristeid species, Aristeus antennatus and Aristaeomorpha foliacea, was compared through multiple genetic markers. These marine shrimp species are of high commercial importance, and are exploited in the Mediterranean Sea (MED) and in Mozambique Channel (MOZ) where they occur in partial sympatry. Aristeus antennatus (N = 50) from Western and Eastern Mediterranean (WM and EM, respectively), Atlantic Ocean (AO) and MOZ, and Aristaeomorpha foliacea (N = 40) from WM, EM, MOZ North-Western Australia (AUS) were analyzed with two nuclear genes (PEPCK and NaK) and one mitochondrial (COI) gene. Within the study area differences were found between the two species in their phylogeographical patterns, suggesting distinct responses to environmental changes. Monophyly of Aristeus antennatus was found across its distributional range. This pattern contrasted by a deep evolutionary split within Aristaeomorpha foliacea where genetic diversity followed geography distinguishing MED-MOZ and AUS. We propose that the AUS lineage of A. foliacea warrants consideration as a distinct species, with consequent implications in systematics and resource management.

Genetic structure of Octopus vulgaris (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) in the central Mediterranean Sea inferred from the mitochondrial COIII gene.

The polymorphism of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase III was studied in the Mediterranean octopus, Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797. A total of 202 specimens from seven sampling sites were analysed with the aim of elucidating patterns of genetic structure in the central Mediterranean Sea and to give an insight into the phylogeny of the Octopus genus. Phylogenetic analyses showed that individuals from the central Mediterranean belong to the O. vulgaris species whose limits should nevertheless be clarified. Concerning genetic structure, two high-frequency haplotypes were present in all locations. The overall genetic divergence (Φ(ST)=0.05, P<0.05) indicated a significant genetic structuring in the study area and an AMOVA highlighted a significant break between western and eastern Mediterranean basins (Φ(CT)=0.094, P<0.05). Possible explanations for the observed patterns of genetic structuring are discussed with reference to their relevance for fisheries management.

Analysis of genetic variability in Aristaeomorpha foliacea (crustacea, aristeidae) using DNA-ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeats) markers.

This work reports the first genetic data of Aristaeomorpha foliacea, a marine decapod of high commercial value, from six Mediterranean localities and one new fishing ground in the Mozambique Channel. The use of five Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) primers provided 150 polymorphic loci. Average estimates of genetic diversity did not significantly differ among sampled localities, with a mean value of heterozygosity H=0.105±0.015. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) allocated>98% of genetic variability to the within-sample component, displaying values higher than those previously reported in ISSR studies on marine invertebrates. Cluster analyses did not detect geographically or genetically distinct groups. The observed lack of large-scale genetic differentiation is discussed in relation to the high potential for larval dispersal of the species and to features of the marker employed.

Ecosystem service provision: an operational way for marine biodiversity conservation and management.

Since no extensive conceptual framework has been developed on the issues of ecosystem service (ES) and service provider (SP) in the marine environment, we have made an attempt to apply these to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity. Within this context, an accurate individuation of SPs, namely the biological component of a given ecosystem that supports human activities is fundamental. SPs are the agents responsible for making the ES-based approach operational. The application of these concepts to the marine environment should be based on an model different to the terrestrial one. In the latter, the basic model envisages a matrix of a human-altered landscape with fragments of original biodiversity; conversely, in the marine environment the model provides fragments where human activities are carried out and the matrix is represented by the original biodiversity. We have identified three main classes of ES provision: in natural, disturbed and human-controlled environments. Economic valuation of marine ESs is an essential condition for making conservation strategies financially sustainable, as it may stimulate the perceived need for investing in protection and exploitation of marine resources.